Seqirus comments on citizen petition by Sanofi

Following the filing of a Citizen Petition last Friday by French drug major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) calling on the US Food and Drug Administration to review the labels for influenza vaccines from Seqirus, a subsidiary of Australia’s CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), Seqirus has issued its own view.

In a statement sent to The Pharma Letter, Seqirus chief medica officer Dr Gregg Sylvester said: “We stand by the demonstrated safety and efficacy profiles of our vaccines, including Fluad Quadrivalent. Furthermore, we have confidence in the regulatory framework that provides for rigorous review of vaccine candidates and is the foundation of the public’s trust in vaccines.

“We are disappointed to see Sanofi Pasteur, a company with a long-standing history in vaccines, attempt to erode confidence in proven public health institutions, processes and tools. We have full faith and confidence that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) systematic review of approved enhanced seasonal influenza vaccines will carefully examine the full breadth of all available data before making any potential preferential recommendations in the older adults (65+) category. We believe that Sanofi Pasteur continues to attempt to improperly influence an independent scientific process which should be focused on all of the available data and public health considerations and not on the commercial aspirations of one manufacturer.”